Street Thankful for German and Chinese Data; Futures Rise

By Avi Salzman

Data out of Germany and China buoyed U.S. stock index futures on Friday morning after the Thanksgiving holiday. Markets will open for a short session today, with stocks trading until 1 p.m. Then it’s back for that second helping of turkey.

A German business confidence index rose unexpectedly. In China, the HSBC purchasing managers index rose to 50.4, its first reading above 50 in more than year. That indicates the manufacturing sector is expanding.

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Earnings reports, corporate strategies and analyst insights are all part of what moves stocks, and they’re all covered by the Stocks to Watch blog. We also look at macro issues, investor sentiments and hidden trends that are affecting the market. Stocks to Watch gives you the full picture of the U.S. stock markets, all day long.

The blog is written by Ben Levisohn, a former stock trader who has covered financial markets for the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and BusinessWeek.